neutering after a year old

i decided not to have truman neitered when i got him. i thought that i might breed him.
but i've changed my mind. and i think having him neutered may help his hyper activity, his peeing, his unattractive humping, and his tendency to be underweight.
but i am worried that after a year, this procedure won't really change any of the behaviors. how will it affect him? will i need to stay home with him? how long will it take him to recover?

I had Watson done at 6 months and after 2 days he was almost back to normal. The day I brought him home, he didn't do ANYTHING. The next day he slowly got more active and could jump up on the bed. He licked the area a lot.

We had our male OES neutered at 5 yrs old. Thought about breeding him for a long time, hence the delay. He weighed 88lbs up til he got neutered. Within a year he weighed 100. He's now 8 1/2 and weighs 113. Just found out he has hypothyroidism and he's been on soloxine for about 2 weeks so he should start losing weight soon with the med and a weight management diet.

That being said, getting him neutered was a good decision. I was worried at first that he would become a different dog, less playful, etc. However, the only changes I noticed were positive ones, despite the weight gain. He's still a very strong and solid dog, just big. Obviously it changed his metabolism, and whether this contributed to the thyroid issue over time, I don't know.

Before he was neutered, he was difficult to control outside and he would chase anything that moved. He was always wanting to go outside and seemed stressed if he couldn't. If a dog in the neighborhood was in heat, it drove him crazy and he would whine quite a bit. He was fairly obedient until outside. Then all bets were off.

After the neuter, he seemed more relaxed and happy. He was just as playful as ever and seemed to become more obedient. He didn't try to chase everything in site but still would if encouraged and was not as stressed about the world outside.

Otherwise, I can't really put my finger on it but he became a better dog. No regrets and I would recommend it, even at 5, although one shouldn't wait that long.

I forgot to mention: he would still hump other dogs on occasion but I guess it's just a natural instinct. I was very surprised but not disappointed. Good exercise?

thank you.
that is exactly the kind of information i needed.
truman is very lean...almost underweight, even though he eats plenty.
he also has an intense need to go out, even when he doesn't have to go potty. and you said it exactly when you said your dog seemed to feel stressed if he couldn't go out.
truman while whine and dance at my feet for long minutes, even when i KNOW he doesn't need to potty. eventually, if i let him out, he will just run around the house, sniff everything in sight and then come back in....its like he just needs to BE out there...let others know he's here.
i feel bad for him because he seems sad sometimes (not all day long or anything, just sometimes) if he can't go outside, but i walk him three times a day, let him out for potty plenty of times, and play with him and love on him as much as i possibly can, but he still seems to be missing something.
maybe neutering will help him. i hope so.

Amy,

Funny, but I have an unspayed female sheepie that does exactly what your M OES does: scratches at the door (and other things) until we let her out, and then when we do, she just runs around (particularly in the snow, which she loves!). She doesn't pee or anything, just runs and runs and runs. I guess she's trying to tell us that she's a two-y/o sheepie and needs to run!

Our other canine member of the family is a pound-rescued 6-y/o chow+lab mix. We had him neutered at 4 years of age. He went through it fine ... mellowed him out just a bit. He still humps sometimes; but very rarely compared to his pre-neutered days. I have a feeling Truman's still gonna bug you though, to go outside, seemingly to do nothing. <sigh>

Peace,
--jt--

Hi, I have a chocolate lab and we recently got him neutered. He is 2 years old, and I had all the same concerns as you. Abie would cry to go outside, and when I let him out, he would almost not listen to a word I said. Before the neutering he would hump people and other dogs frequently. Also when he would sit on the top of the stairs, he would have a [large display], and semen would come out of his penis all the time. GROSS!! This is one of the reasons we got him neutered. After the neutering, this completely stoped, he became more playful, and just very happy in general.

However! I have to mention that most vets, and be sure you ask. remove the testiles from a small incision made right in front of the sack. Abie only had 4 stiches. If you neuter a dog who is over 6 months old, the empty sack WILL STAY THERE AND BECOME A FLAT FLAP OF SKIN. This is a big negative, because it looks funny. If there was one disadvantage of netuering a dog over 1, it is just this.

Good Luck.

HI,

Going to jump in this conversation as I've had 7 dogs in total over the years and each was spayed and neutered. As 6 were rescues there was no hesitation on my part until I got Merlin. Merlin's parentage is quite good and unlike the others, I purchased him from a breeder. Neutering him was a really difficult decision for me as I thought about using him as a stud.

My daily visits to the dog park are what changed my mind. Do you know that a un-neutered dog is constantly challenged by the other dogs? Merlin was 10 months when I had him done and started to exhibit Alpha Male behaviors. As the hormones are kicking around in our boys, don't expect the change to be immediate...it takes aprox a few weeks for all the hormones to disapate. I've also read that some of their previous neutering behavior stays with them...so humping may still occur. Humping isn't always sexual either as lots of dogs that are neutered do it as a sign of dominance.

Panda whom is a rescue from Hong Kong was "desexed" in his former country. That's what they call it there. They don't remove the testicles but they are left looking somewhat deflated. No need to worry with our boys however, as you really don't notice it as Lab Man suggested. Remember our boys have so much hair , that even with a short clip it's totally un-noticable.

Lastly, they are a bit groggy the first day but you'd never notice anything was up by the second day- full of energy again. If they lick that area- purchase a cone or you notice redness - then call your vet ASAP
It's a tough choice to make and I sympathize with you but I agree with the others...life is so much easier when they are fixed. Remember at 1 year old it will take just a few wks to notice the difference.

Good Luck!
Marianne

Granted, Clyde had his done at about 6 1/2 months, but it was like he had no idea it had happened. He wasn't groggy, never licked and was even bouncier if that's possible. We had to keep downing him so he wouldn't hurt himself! Like I said, I know he was younger but it really was an all around positive experience for us (and him!).

Hi I'm a trainer and work with behavior issues. Neutering at this age is not really a problem , I'm an advocate for it whatever the dog's age if it is not going to be used as a good breeding dog. As for your behavioral concerns: usually the neutering calms dogs down to a degree, helps but doesn't cure marking and as far as weight gain, dogs get fat because owners overfeed them or the dog has an underlying condition like thyroid that causes obesity problems. Dogs slow down in their growth after about 16-18 months and in some cases sooner. No worries, just have it done by a good vet and keep him calm for about a week, so that it reduces the chance of infection. Overall, he may be healthier because neutering = no testicals=no testicular cancer!